The evening of May 11 was very special for AHC as we held our 12th Annual Meeting and Peter Medoff Awards Ceremony. Our amazing award recipients included Betsy Conway from Bethany Hill in Framingham; Wendy Furnari from the Southern New Hampshire AIDS Task Force; Anthony Andreottola from JRI’s Huntington at Symphony residence; Jim Pettinelli from Victory Programs, Inc.; and Larry Kessler, the founding director of the AIDS Action Committee. In accepting the awards, each recipient gave moving and passionate speeches about the importance of making the world a better place for people living with AIDS and that despite the many years of work, AIDS is still very much with us. AHC is grateful to have had the honor of recognizing these people who have given so much to individuals living with AIDS and in the fight against AIDS.

The event, held in the dining room of the Boston Living Center, was possible with the support of many of our friends in the community, with food donated by Sherry Berger of Prairie Star, flowers donated by Joe Shadroui at Bunker Hill Florists and as always, support from our friends at Wainwright Bank, InNewsweekly, and others.

Thanks in part to the tireless efforts of United Disability Housing Partnership, the state legislature increased funding for the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) for the second consecutive year. Both the House and the Senate funded AHVP, which provides rental assistance to persons with disabilities, at $3.5 million for Fiscal Year 2007.

At the federal level, the House Appropriations Committee approved an increase to the Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program to $300.1 million, a level that would be the highest ever for this program. The Appropriations Committee also rejected President Bush’s proposal for a 50% cut and level funded HUD’s section 811 program at $238 million. Section 811 is HUD’s only program specifically designed to build housing for persons living with disabilities.

On April 1, 2006, HUD put new annual reporting formats into effect for formula and competitive grants. In May, AHC held two trainings in Massachusetts and New Hampshire regarding the new reporting for all New England HOPWA grantees. HUD has released two user guides for grantees, for the APR (competitive grants) and the CAPER (formula grants). Up-to-date copies of these user guides and new reporting forms are posted on HUD’s web site, along with links to more detailed information regarding performance reporting. AHC has already provided follow-up assistance to HOPWA grantees across the region regarding these new formats. For help or more information, contact Jonathan Sherwood, Director of Technical Assistance.

Frannie Peabody Center is a private, nonprofit HIV/AIDS service organization dedicated to providing prevention and comprehensive client services to individuals living with HIV/AIDS. The Peabody Center was formed in 2002 as the result of a merger between The AIDS Project (TAP) and Peabody House, two organizations with long and progressive histories in the fight against HIV in Maine.